Friday, January 31, 2014

Governor Maggie Hassan visited Beech Street Elementary School today, where she joined Superintendent of Dr. Debra Livingston, Mayor Ted Gatsas and local first responders for a briefing and demonstration of upgrades made to the school's intercom system. Beech Street, along with every other school in the district, installed new intercom and telephone equipment which enhance communication capabilities in the event of an emergency.

The upgraded systems are digital, are battery-protected in the event of power loss, and use voice-over-internet protocol. Among the featured enhancements:
o Classrooms within a building can communicate with each other.
o School office can visually see which classroom is calling.
o Classrooms can call 911 directly, and dispatch will know exactly where the call is coming from.
o Schools can implement the series of audio alerts which notify anyone in the building to the nature of an emergency based on the tone; similar to fire drills that are practiced on a regular basis, our students, faculty and staff will know proper procedures for varying situations.

During the demonstration at Beech Street School, students from a kindergarten class showed Governor Hassan what they have practiced in case of emergency, including how to call the school office for help with the push of a button, and how to dial 911 from the classroom phone on the wall.

The improvements, totaling about $148,000, were funded in part by a federal Emergency Management Performance Grant managed by the Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, along with a matching technology bond from the city. Manchester School District works closely with local first responders on continually improving emergency preparedness.

Funded in part by a federal Emergency Management Performance Grant managed by the Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), the safety improvements significantly enhanced the school’s emergency alerting capability by upgrading the intercom system.

Governor Maggie Hassan visited Beech Street Elementary School today, where she joined superintendent Dr. Debra Livingston, Mayor Ted Gatsas and local first responders for a briefing and demonstration of upgrades made to the school's intercom system. Beech Street, along with every other school in the district, installed new intercom and telephone equipment which enhance communication capabilities in the event of an emergency.

The upgraded systems are digital, battery-protected in the event of power loss, and use voice-over-internet protocol. Among the featured enhancements:

oClassrooms within a building can communicate with each other.

o The school office can visually see which classroom is calling.

oClassrooms can call 911 directly, and dispatch will know exactly where the call is coming from.

oSchools can implement the series of audio alerts which notify anyone in the building to the nature of an emergency based on the tone; similar to fire drills that are practiced on a regular basis, our students, faculty and staff will know proper procedures for varying situations.

During the demonstration at Beech Street School, students from a kindergarten class showed Governor Hassan what they have practiced in case of emergency, including how to call the school office for help with the push of a button, and how to dial 911 from the classroom phone on the wall.

The improvements, totaling about $148,000, were funded in part by a federal Emergency Management Performance Grant managed by the Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, along with a matching technology bond from the city. Manchester School District works closely with local first responders on continually improving emergency preparedness.

Monday, January 27, 2014

You can help 500 Manchester Middle School Students and Teacher/Chaperones see a performance of The Civil War,
a Theatreworks show focused on the smaller stories of some of the
soldiers who were caught up in the midst of the conflict. The
performance takes place on Tuesday, February 4th at 10:00 AM at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy. 500 free admissions have been generously donated to Expanding Students' Horizons
for student distribution. But without the needed $1,200 for the twelve
round trip buses we will not be able to accept all of the 500 free
tickets. So, please:

Donate now, to reach the $1,200 needed for 500 students to attend The Civil War!

The Southside Middle School Library is having a Book Fair at the
Barnes & Noble on South Willow St. on February 12 (snow date
February 13). Shop at anytime on this date and mention that you are
supporting the Southside Book Fair before you finalize your purchase at
the register. A schedule of events is being developed for after school
on Feb. 12 so please come to the store with your children to enjoy.Online Ordering:
Can't make it to the store on Book Fair day? Order online and purchases
made from February 9 - 15 can be credited to the SMS Book Fair. On the
payment page for your online purchases you will see the prompt to "Check if this is a Book Fair Order". Click to get a payment screen where you can enter the Southside Book Fair ID: 1127658.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Join us for a FREE day of snowshoeing, prizes and family fun at the Derryfield Country Club on Saturday, Jan. 25th 10am-2pm! Snowshoe equipment and instruction will be provided by staff from Eastern Mountain Sports. Kids ages 5 and up are also welcome to participate. Wear a sturdy winter boot, dress according to the weather and come enjoy some time outdoors!

The Derryfield Restaurant will provide discounted lunch specials! Manchester School District employees are asked to check-in at the event for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Hannaford.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner for $10 on Tuesday, January 21, 2014!

The Common Man’s Airport Diner in Manchester is hosting an all-you-can-eat spaghetti supper to assist the Manchester School of Technology (MST) in raising funds for student programs and activities.

On Tuesday, January 21 from 4 – 7 p.m., diners who order the spaghetti supper, which includes spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, a salad and a non-alcoholic beverage, will be assisting the school’s fundraising efforts. Five dollars of every $10 meal sold will benefit MST’s programs. Tax and gratuity are not included in the dinner price.

MST’s Culinary Program Director Mike Holfelder said the school has gone from offering vocational programs for juniors and seniors to being a full-time, four-year high school. This change has caused the need to build up reserves for student programs such as the yearbook committee, student council and other activities, said Holfelder.

Tickets are not needed for this event. Diners who attend the benefit just need to order the spaghetti supper that evening and mention that they are at Airport Diner to support the MST fundraiser. Airport Diner is located at 2280 Brown Avenue in Manchester.

Google Apps for Education: This is a great time to get started with Google Apps in the classroom. If you haven't already done so help your students activate their district Google accounts:http://googleresources.mansd.org

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Both new and re-elected Board of School Committee members were sworn in on January 7, 2014 during an inaugural ceremony held at Manchester's Palace Theater. In a first organizational meeting held at City Hall, committee assignments were made and chairpersons were elected. Mayor Ted Gatsas, now serving his third term as mayor, is the Chairman of the Board of School Committee. David Wihby, At-Large committee member, was chosen as Vice Chairman. Assignments for all committees can be found on the Board of School Committee web pages at bosc.mansd.org.